iphone 4 side shot
Bloomberg reports on an article from Russian business newspaper RBC Daily claiming that wireless carriers are in discussions with Apple to launch the iPhone 5 in that country as soon as November.

Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone 5 may start selling in Russia in November, “almost immediately” after sales begin in the U.S., RBC Daily reported, citing handset retailers it didn’t identify.

The report notes that previous iPhone models have been slow to officially make their way to Russia, setting up a large market for unauthorized device sales. Russian mobile phone operators are obviously eager to bring Apple's latest iPhone models to the country as soon as possible in order to capitalize on their popularity with official distribution.

Claims of the iPhone 5 making its way to China as soon as October have also appeared in recent days as carriers in countries around the world seek to gain access to the rumored forthcoming device as close as possible to the U.S. launch. Apple has historically staggered its international rollouts to prioritize its biggest markets and those where distribution is simplest. But a number of countries with large populations such as China, India, and Russia have often seen device launches come well after the initial wave.

Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

xionxiox Avatar
187 months ago
In Soviet Russia, iPhone come to you!....later
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
winston1236 Avatar
187 months ago
No Soviet Russia no more. Not 20+ years being it in existence. ;):rolleyes:

They are getting it late to punish them for the whole MacDefender thing.

Take that, tovarish!! :D

haha if that were true it would be hilarious
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wackymacky Avatar
187 months ago
How many people remember when they first got the original iPhone and perhaps then the 3G, and well, you were only of the few with one?

6-7 out of 10 of my work colleagues and friends now have an iPhone. Apple soon will be a top selling phone in China, India, Russia. Next we will hear that Apple is going to be the first Western Company to open a new retail store in North Korea in the last 10 years.

Who will be last last person in the world (in the range of a cellphone network) not to own an iDevice.

Kind of sad really.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bushido Avatar
187 months ago
Moscow and st Petersburg are the main city's of Russia and what are you talking about that they arnt official apple stores??? They sell apple products and only apple products....

Apple Store



and this is what u r talking about > Apple Reseller

Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alex00100 Avatar
187 months ago
nah... we all buy it on ebay. iPhones in russia are very expensive, compared to US.
they better not making a month delay from official release date instead a 1/2 year as it was before(iPad 2 came 2 month later then in US and it was the fastest thing i remember) but also make it cheaper.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Discoverer Avatar
187 months ago
What are you talking about? My cousins are from Moscow and they have about 20 apple stores in that city.... Also ALOT of people can afford apple products... Your getting confused with the 1970's and today... Today a lot of people have money in western Russia... Only some parts of Russia are poor, just like the united states....

There are no Apple Stores in Russia. There are only Apple authorized resellers, which are not the same thing. Also, most Russians live on levels that go beyond poverty. That is one problem with many foreigners. They see Moscow or Petersburg and think that that's Russia. It is not. Visit Ivanovo, or Kostroma, or any other city and tell me if you can find people with "money" when most people there can't afford to pay for water.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...